At the 2020 Golden Globes, Ricky Gervais gave an opening monologue that probably rubbed his audience the wrong way. In a moment that lives in viral infamy he stated: “If you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg. So if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent and your god and f*ck off, OK?”
And while I personally feel Greta has shown she could have used more time in school, overall I found this moment to be a breath of fresh air. So often in the news or media we see celebrities speaking (by which I mean reposting) about random global issues – often sharing disinformation which they sometimes apologize for later – or, despite their multi-million dollar net worths, asking fans to donate money to these causes. The Crown’s Claire Foy recently stated, “If you’re just making noise for the sake of it, then you should probably shut up.” While celebs often jump on the bandwagon of popular political fads, they rarely get their hands dirty or put their money where their mouths are. Have we ever seen as many celebrities out on the streets for a humanitarian crisis as were marching for SAG-AFTRA?
The take of Foy and Gervais may seem incredibly negative. Why shouldn’t those capable of reaching people around the world use their platforms to make real change? In an ideal world, that would be lovely, but the truth is less naive. Celebrity activism is usually uninformed, selective and pointless.
For instance, when Jonathan Glazer won an Oscar for a Holocaust movie, he said in his speech that he refutes his Jewish identity and the Holocaust “being hijacked by an occupation.” With the speech, Glazer joined a growing number jumping on the popular propaganda campaign connecting the Israel-Hamas War to the Holocaust – a dangerous, and inaccurate, libel. Plus the Israeli occupation of Gaza ended in 2005; Glazer’s speech once again showed the disinformation often shared by celebrities. The US Holocaust Survivors Foundation called his speech “morally indefensible,” adding, “if the creation, existence and survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish state equates to ‘occupation’ in your mind, then you obviously learned nothing from your movie.”
The 2026 Golden Globes took place on Sunday, Jan. 11 with more than 8.6 million viewers. Celebs like Mark Ruffalo, Ariana Grande and more wore anti-ICE pins reading “BE GOOD” or “ICE OUT” in tribute to Renee Good, who was tragically killed by ICE the week prior. I am not hating on these pins, but rather wondering why celebrities won’t do more. Mark Ruffalo for example has donated to causes in the past, but has yet to go beyond vocal action against ICE. Is ICE going to get out of neighborhoods across America because some celebrities wore pins to an award show? Unfortunately, no. But perhaps this showed Americans their favorite celebrities feel the same way that they do, maybe encouraging people to get out and protest. Will these celebrities join them? Probably not.
Interestingly, at this same point in time another crisis was occurring in the world. Beginning late December, Iran’s authoritarian regime launched a brutal crackdown on dissent, arresting over 18,000 people and murdering more than 2,400 civilians. Despite the brutality of the government, Iranians have continued to protest, calling for freedom, women’s rights, an end to the Islamic Republic’s authoritarian rule and a solution for the economic crisis. Despite the bravery and bloodshed occurring, the world has been silent. Greta Thunberg and other flotilla members are not setting sail with aid, college students are not encamping on their quads and no celebrities wore pins in support of the Iranian people to the Golden Globes.
Why? It seems cut-and-dry: evil government with brave people resisting, hmmm … hits slightly close to home, right America? But for some reason, Iran has been largely absent from newspaper headlines and media platforms. Unlike the “free Palestine” and anti-ICE movements, Iran is not becoming a popular cause. I have my own theories but no proven answer as to why. However, without global hype, celebrities seem not to care at all. Do they not feel connected to the issue because Iran is not their country of origin? Do they not feel informed enough to speak out? I doubt it – this has never stood in the way before.
Take, for instance, the pins that celebrities such as Mark Ruffalo, Billie Eilish and others have worn on-and-off since 2023, which show a hand on a red background. When asked about the symbol, celebrities have claimed it shows opposition to the Israel-Hamas War. Were most of these celebrities connected to the conflict? Nope! Were any informed on the issue? Presumably no! If any reporter bothered to ask them where the symbol on their pin actually originates from, I imagine none would know the answer. During the Second Intifada, a crowd in Ramallah lynched two Israeli reservists. After brutally murdering them, one of the killers held up his red, blood-stained hands to a cheering crowd. This infamous image of violence is what is shown on the pins that celebrities claim stand for peace. I hope celebrities don’t know this. I hope they were oblivious when they put on those red pins just as I hope they are oblivious to the crisis in Iran as they remain silent.
Of course, everyone has issues that are dear to them. For example, Bad Bunny has refused to do concerts in America because of ICE and to support his birthplace Puerto Rico; Matthew McConaughey took action for gun safety legislation after the shooting in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas, visiting victims’ families and speaking at The White House. However, when celebrities decide they are experts on issues they have no connection to, selectivity becomes a problem and a question – why do some people matter and others do not? If celebrities choose to be activists, they cannot take a stand without knowing the basis of that issue or its symbols. Instead, like Bad Bunny, McConaughey and others, celebrity activism should be about more than reposting or wearing a pin, but instead taking time to both learn and act for those in need.
Jenna Ledley is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at jledley@cornellsun.com.
